Eilat is the southern resort and port city in Israel. Nearby, on the
Jordanian side, was the location of Eloth, a major ancient city for 3,000
years, which included King Solomon's sea port of Etzion-Geber.

1 Kings 9 26: "And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber,
which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of
Edom"

Background:

Eilat, the southern modern city of Israel, is a favorite
holiday resort. Eilat was an important city for the past 3,000 years due
to its access to the red sea, its location on the major trade routes,
and being a border city. Its ruins are located on the shores of the
neighboring Jordanian city of Aqaba.

In ancient times its nearby port, called Etzion-Geber, was the
base of the fleet of King Solomon and the Judah Kings, who traded with Ophir.

History highlights:

Over 3,000 years of history -

Year

Period

Event

~1250 BC

Iron
Age

Moses
and the Israelites passed Eilat and Etzion-Geber on their 40
years of wandering (Biblical ref)

King
Baldwin I arrives in Eilat and fortify it (calling it Helim -
another form)

1171

Crusaders lost the city to Saladin forces

1182

Crusaders re-conquer and fortify the city

1187

Saladin retakes the city;

The
city is relocated and a new fortress is built and called
Aqaba-Aila

13-15th C

Mamlukes

Under
Mamlukes control, Aqaba-Aila continues to be an important city

16th-19th C

Ottoman

Aqaba
is a small Ottoman fishermen village

1917

British

"Lawrence of Arabia" takes Aqaba from the Ottomans (a famous
movie scene)

1920

British police station in Umm-RashRash, on the north-western
side of the bay

1932,
38-39

Archaeological excavations in Tell Halifa, east of the border,
reveal ancient Etzion-Geber site

1949

Israel

Israeli forces take Umm-RashRash, increase the size of new state
of Israel; Aqaba is part of Jordan

1950

New
city of Eilat is established on the Israeli side

1955

Port
of Eilat starts operation

1956

Sinai
war operations

1959

Eilat
declared a city

Location:

Eilat is located on the south corner of Israel,
bordering two countries - Jordan on the east and Egypt on the south and the
west. An aerial photo of the bay of Eilat and the area around the city is seen
below.

You can point & click on
the purple points to navigate to
the selected point.

Eilat in the Peutinger Map:

The Peutinger Map (Tabula
Peutingeriana) is a medieval map which was based on a 4th C Roman military
road map. The map shows
the major roads, with indication of the cities, and geographic highlights
(lakes, rivers, mountains, seas). The roads are shown as brown lines between the cities and stations. Along the links are stations and
distance in Roman miles (about 1.5KM per mile).

In the section
shown on the right is the area of Eilat, drawn in a rotated direction (Egypt on the left,
the Mediterranean sea on the top, and Jordan on the bottom). Eilat is marked
as "Haila", and three roads pass here - to Jerusalem (to the
right), through Petra to Damascus (bottom), and to Egypt via Mount Sinai
(to the left). Sinai desert is marked as the place where the Israelites
wandered 40 years, and Mount Sinai as the place where they accepted the
laws of Israel.

Photos:

Photos in the first section by Uncle Amnon

(a) The City ("New Eilat")

The modern city of Eilat
(established in 1950) is located on the north-west side of the
Bay of Eilat. Its major income is based on tourism, and its fine
hotels offer year round sunshine and beach access. The photo below
shows a view of the beach, hotels on the right, the residential
section on the left (west), and the colorful mountains in the
background.

Click on the photos to view in higher
resolution...

The Bay of Eilat and the Red Sea is seen in photo below. The city
across the bay is Aqaba, the port city of Jordan and the location of the ancient
city of Eloth and its port Etzion-Geber.

Along the beach of Eilat is the modern port. On the south side
of the port, closer to the Egyptian border, are several tourist attractions - a
nature reserve of the coral reef, the underwater Observatory marine park,
and the Dolphin reef park.

Along Eilat's beach is a long boardwalk, as seen below.

(b) Umm Rash-Rash

Umm Rash-Rash was a small British police
station that operated on the north-west side of the bay during the years
1940-1948. On March 10, 1949 the Israeli forces reached the station and
raised the Israeli flag, establishing the Israeli control over the south most
city in Israel. The soldiers arrived here after traveling the desert from
Beersheba in the last military operation of the Israeli Independence war.

The photo below shows the monument of the
famous flag raising. The city was established a year later in the area around
the police station.

Another view of the flag raising monument.
Behind it is one of the original mud houses which was part of the British
police station. The soldiers raised a makeshift Israeli flag, prepared from a
shirt and ink, since they reached the site without a formal flag. The "ink
flag" is a famous landmark and could be regarded as the cornerstone event of
the modern city.

(c) Eilat Mountains

After climbing up the western mountains, the road
leads along the Egyptian border towards north. Along the road are
different rock formations and color, belonging to various geological
periods.

In the photo below an Ibex mountain goat (Ya'el) is
seen crossing the road.

A male Ibex, accompanied by two females, is
seen below. As in Psalms 104:18: "High mountains for ibex and
rocks to shelter hyrax"

Another view of the Ibex mountain goat.

You can explore the mountain area by joining a jeep tour or ride on camels.

(d) Flamingo - bird watch

Eilat and the Arava are one of the two
major migration paths for birds between Europe and Africa. North of Eilat, just
after the customs checkpoint, is a detour to the salt pools. This is a unique
viewpoint for a flock of several hundred Flamingos who spend here the winter
time.

The mountains in the photo below,
behind the pools, are the Edom mountains of Jordan. The vast valley - Arava -
is the path of the Israelite exodus (Deuteronomy 2 8: "through the way of the
plain from Elath").

Biblical sources:

(a) Deuteronomy 2, 8

The Israelites passed near Eilat during the Exodus from Egypt:

"And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt
in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from
Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab".

(b) 1 Kings 9 26-28, 10: 22

King Solomon (~968-928BC) made Eilat and the city of
Ezion-Geber a major port, and established maritime commerce with Ophir and
Tharshish.

"And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber,
which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of
Edom. And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had
knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir,
and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it
to king Solomon".

"For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of
Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and
silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks".

(c) 1 Kings 22 49-50

King Jehoshaphat (~870 BC) continued to use the port of Etzion-Geber in the
bay of Eilat for maritime commerce:

"Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold:
but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber. Then said
Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants
in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.".

(d) 2 Chronicles 26 2

Uzziah (760 BC) returned Eilat back to Judah's control:

"Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and
made him king in the room of his father Amaziah. He built Eloth, and
restored it to Judah."

(e) 2 Kings 16 6

Ahaz (730BC), the grandson of Uzziah, lost the city to Aram:

"At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and
drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and
dwelt there unto this day".

Historical sources:

(a) Josephus Flavius - Antiquities VIII 6 4

The historian describes the site of Solomon's port, calling it "Berenice":

"Moreover, the king built many ships in the Egyptian Bay of the Red Sea, in
a certain place called Ezion-geber: it is now called Berenice, and is not far
from the city Eloth"

(b) Josephus Flavius - Antiquities IX 12 1

The historian describes the fall of Eloth to Aram during the time of Ahaz
(730BC):

"...and when the king of Syria had taken the city Elath, upon the Red Sea,
and had slain the inhabitants, he peopled it with Syrians; and when he had slain
those in the [other] garrisons, and the Jews in their neighborhood, and had
driven away much prey, he returned with his army back to Damascus".

Etymology (behind the name):

Eilat -
the name of the Biblical city may have been
based on the Pistacia (Hebrew: Ella) tree. It is mentioned in
several Biblical sources.

Eloth, Elath - other versions of
the name

Etzion-Geber or just
Etzion- The name of the ancient sea port near Eilat. Its
meaning is not clear but may be based on the following words:
Etzion - may mean "city"; Gever - In Hebrew means "Man" or
"Rooster".

Aqaba (Akaba) - the Jordanian
city, established by the Malukes near the ancient city of Eloth.
It is a short form of Aqabah El Aila - Arabic for the "hillside of
Eilat".